Thoughts please - my 15.5yo DD hasn't started periods yet

[celestialsquirrels]

At what point do I worry and/or take her to see a doctor?
She is 5'5'' (I am 5'6''), has small but definite breasts, pubes, is skinny but has grown some hips - shouldn't she have started periods by now? I think I started just after my 14th birthday.

Is it worth taking her to see someone? And if so, GP or someone else?

Or does the fact that she has boobs and pubes mean I shouldn't worry?

All thoughts most gratefully received.

[gallicgirl]

How heavy is she? I think 7 stone is the magic weight.
I can't remember if 16 or 18 is when doctors start investigations though.

[Yorkieaddict]

I would probably give it a little longer before going to a doctor. I was similar, in that I didn't start until just before I was 16. My Mum started hers at 11, and was planning to take me to the doctors if I got to 16 and still nothing. I think in my case it was because I was very skinny, and did a lot of sport, which delayed things a bit. I don't know if this is likely to be the case with your DD?

[defineme]

Does she do a lot of sport?

[AnyaKnowIt]

I was 17 when mine started

My mum did take me to go but was told to go back if they didn't start by 18

[MrsMongoose]

Trampolining for England as a preteen ruined me.. I a didn't get my period until 16.

Anything like this in her history?

[ballroomblitz]

I was 16 unlike my mum who was 11. I was a skinny child so maybe that had something to do with it.

Cousin was 18 - and my aunt had taken her at that age to the gp for a check up.

[thefirstmrsrochester]

If she is slightly built and active, I wouldn't worry for now. The kicking in factors are weight (7 stone) and body fat going above 17%.

[steppemum]

on the other hand, my friend didn't start and eventually they discovered that her cervix was closed (had some sort of thin layer of skin closing it) They operated and all the blood etc from several years was stored up inside. Sterile because sealed in. She lost lots of weight overnight!

So probably a lot depends on her build and weight etc.

[SaidFlorence]

The weight/build thing isn't always true. I have a super skinny, 5 stone 11 year old who started last week.

I wouldn't worry yet. My sister was 17 despite me and my other sister, both smaller and lighter stsrting years earlier. The fact she has other signs of puberty must be a positive.

[celestialsquirrels]

Thanks v much everyone. I don't know how much she weighs but I wouldn't have thought it was more than 7 stone. She is thin but not unhealthily so. She doesn't do much organised sport but she rides a lot and cycles and still runs around the garden with the dogs a lot. So fit but not an over exerciser by any means...

Interesting how many of you were 16 and over though!

Steppe mum - eurgh, poor child, that sounds awful - surely there would be signs like bloating?

[NK346f2849X127d8bca260]

My SIL was 16 when she started hers.

[steppemum]

op - I didn't know her at the time, I met her at uni and she told me the story, so I don't have all the gory details

Her mum just got concerned because she was late starting i think.

[onedogandababy]

I think you need to hit a certain % of body fat, I was nearly 14.5 yrs and around 6/6.5 stone. I think if there are other signs of puberty medics won't be concerned til 18.

[DeWe]

My aunt didn't start until she was 17. She was full adult height (and is tall) at 14. They had taken her to see a doctor by then.

I would go and talk to the doctor shortly, particularly if it's bothering her. The doctor should be able to give you some guidance of when to worry too. (If she's not worried, I'd probably ask the doctor to give me a telephone appointment when she wasn't around so I could ask questions without worrying/embarrassing her)

[xalyssx]

I started mine quite late because I didn't have a small hole in my hymen, it was 100 percent intact IYSWIM. One night I woke up at about 4am in pain, my genitals were incredibly swollen and my mum called an ambulance. Turned out I had had a heavy enough period to rupture the hymen completely . From then on my periods have been fine.

[babasheep]

May I ask you ladies who had your puberty late. Were you also happened to be a very small and skinny children while you were in primary school? As my 10 yr old dd only just started to wear 8yr size cloths but no sign of any body changes yet. But I am very concern of her height.

[Lottie4]

I'm not sure if the 7st mark is always true. My daughter's friend started a few months ago and she was 6st. I'm generally around 7st2lbs and due to emotional stress when I was 18-21 I was only 6st3lbs and my periods carried on as usual.

Can't give advice on when the correct time to see the doctor. If your daughter's boobs or hair started growing over three years ago, it might be worth getting her checked out. If more recently, then it might be worth leaving it for say six months.

My daughter is 12 but for the last year has noticed she feels wet at certain times. I've been keeping on eye on this with her pants and she certainly has a few days when there has been a lot of discharge and then a couple of weeks later nothing at all - this seems to be roughly on a 28/30 cycle. Not sure if this is typical for other girls before they start, but it might be worth discussing with her if she sometimes has a noticeable discharge, or if you don't want to alert her to your concerns, you could check her pants if you feel comfortable doing that without her knowing.

[AveryJessup]

Weight is relevant but hormones play a role too. Is your daughter healthy in general, OP? Does she have a lot of energy and eat well?

I didn't start periods until I was nearly 18 and the reason was undiagnosed coeliac disease because I just wasn't gaining weight. I went to the doctor about my lack of periods at 17 and she fobbed me off, telling me to eat more fruit and veg. She didn't pick up that I was anaemic or anything. I was exhausted all the time and weepy and depressed. It took until I was 19 to be diagnosed and then I gained weight to about 7.5 stone and also grew a couple of inches, like a delayed puberty!

So I would keep an eye on your DD's general health, energy levels etc.

[PersonalClown]

I was nearly 6 ft tall , barely 7/8 stone and started mine just before I was 16.
I had started to fill out and grow hair a few years before and had the immense cramps and mood swigs for at least 3 years before they finally started.

I wouldn't worry too much just yet.

[jellybelly18]

I was nearly 16 when I started tall skinny and sporty. I don't think I had any boobs till I was about 20!

[BerryGood]

I was 17.5 (though told my mates I had at 14 I had and had to wait YEARS!). I was very slight, interestingly though I carried on growing until around 19/20 ish to reach an adult height of 5'9.
I never worried about it, nor did it occur to my mum to worry. I was healthy with no worries. I was always the skinny one through school and even now after 4 children am not prone to weight gain.

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

I disagree about the weight thing as well. DD started aged almost 15, but was always on the chubby side and was probably 7st by the age of 9.
I fully expected her to start while in primary school.

She had signs of puberty starting at about 11, including discharge, and was wearing a bra, but it just seemed to take a long time before the trigger kicked off, so to speak.
She was over 10 st and 5' 6'' by the time she started.